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Thursday, November 13, 2014

This Is My Office and My Beat Laboratory

Extra points if you know what that's from. Points aren't worth anything. You just get them. Kind of like Paddy's Bucks. More worthless points if you know what that's from.

A few weeks ago my aerobics and yoga instructor asked if I could make her a bag of some sort to hold her CDs. She doesn't have a fixed location per se--she makes arrangements with churches or gyms or other locales to teach her classes according to a set schedule. So while her students have a fixed location to go to, she's traveling all over to teach. She needed something to hold her music so the CDs wouldn't end up all over her car, or get battered and broken in her handbag.

I immediately thought of the cassette tape fabric from this sew-along. How perfect would that be? But no. She has more of a refined taste that doesn't exactly fit with neon cassettes. I found a black tone-on-tone music note fabric that looked basic, but was a bit of fun the closer you got to it. I immediately knew I was sketching up a boxy pouch with handles because what could be more perfect to hold a bunch of CDs? I took a page from Jane's book to do my handles (see her pattern here, and my bag I made from it here), so I had to do a little extra thinking regarding construction, but not too much...because Jane already did it, hahaha.

Just so you know--I do see all that lint in the photos. And yes, I did give it a good brush-off and a final press before I handed it over. I know you folks worry about these things, and I don't want the reason you can't sleep to be my lint.

I will confess to you that I made this bag twice. On a lunch break one day I sketched out my pattern and tried to be savvy by eliminating the cut-outs and just boxing the corners. It's not easy to get the sides even and straight and the right height when you're working rectangular and pretty narrow. It may be geometrically impossible but I'm not sure, because math. The result wasn't the best looking but could have been doable, if I didn't lose inches somewhere along the way and end up with a teeny bag. So I redrew properly this time (tutorial here), and flew right through the thing without a glance at my seam ripper. Note to self: a few extra minutes now can save a lot of time later.

This ended up holding a half dozen CDs perfectly. Like snug as a bug in a rug (which, I've mentioned before, is quite creepy sounding, but certainly conveys the fit here) kind of perfect. I'm losing my unwavering love for fusible fleece, though. I've found lately that it's just not giving a smooth look anymore, so I don't know if something changed in the manufacturing process or what, so it's something I'll be having to think about in other bags. Thankfully it pressed smooth after this lint-filled photo shoot.

The lining is a swirly, sparkly gray and white print that reminds of two things--those red and white peppermints, and also a blizzard. I'm glad I have some left over because if I ever get around to half the ideas that exist in my head I'll need those scraps for the winter sky of a quilt block.

And because I need color I tied a pretty turquoise ribbon to the zipper pull.

Oof, the lint. It's all I can see.

I haven't been sewing much lately as I've developed a bit of a sweater obsession. On Sunday I started another sweater, and I've already got the front and back finished. Granted, it's a bulky yarn in stockinette stitch on bigger needles, so that definitely helps. But I'm already thinking of making yet another one. I have a complicated cabled cardigan that I'm holding off on until after the holidays, but I've been perusing patterns and yarns. I'm kind of jealous of people who only do one craft, as one keeps you busy enough. But having three? I'm surprised I'm not right loopy yet. Maybe I am, I have no idea.

Wanna hear something fun? We've got a bit of snow coming down outside right now. More of a snow shower than anything that will accumulate, but still. What, that's not fun to you? See? I guess I am loopy.

Aerobics AND yoga? Interesting combination. I have a cardiomix AND pilates instructor. An hour of cardiomix is equivalent to running 5km. Back to your bag. It's lovely (except for the lack of colour but that's not your choice). I'm surprised you didn't try to sneak in a zipper in neon. Yes, the lint is killing me too. Kindly check on your instructor and see if she tries to replace the turquoise ribbon. Fyi, I envy people who can do many crafts well. p.s. this is weird maybe but i enjoy the math part of pattern making. like how do you not?

I like that fabric! That looks like a really well-made bag too. Almost every time I try to save a few minutes I end up regretting it. There are just too many enjoyable crafts... that's why I usually focus on sewing. I'd go crazy if I kept up with all of the crafts I know!Um, snow actually IS fun to me. Maybe I'm loopy too. ;-)

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About Me

Hiya! Thanks for stopping by my happy little hive. I love to make things, especially bags. I like cheery colors. I like green Swedish fish and red freeze pops. And I firmly believe that a cup of tea makes everything better. I hope you pull up a chair and visit it for a bit. Happy trails!